Businessweek Archives

McCain Reaches Out To Hispanics With New "God's Children" Ad

Titled “God’s Children,” the ad tries to work on multiple fronts—patriotism, hispanic outreach and doubling down on his position regarding the further occupation of Iraq.

Looking at the past, especially his own Vietnam past, has come to be a staple of McCain ads. In this ad, he asks rhetorically, via a clip from a speech he gave at a Republican gathering when he was still sharing the stage with his former rivals for the nomination, for people to look at the names on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington to see how many Hispanic names they see. He talks up the Hispanics that are serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, and calls special attention to green-card holders who are fighting in those countries. McCain invokes these Hispanics as, “God’s Children” to make his case for the need to have a means to make more Hispanics legal citizens in America.

It is a powerful well-done ad created at a time when McCain is behind Barack Obama 70% o 30% in polls of Hispanic voters. The shot in the ad I like best is when the camera cuts to Congressman Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Congressman Duncan Hunter of California. These two House members rode the immigration issue like a hobby-horse during their brief time in the primaries. The camera catches their expressions as McCain talks about green-card Hispanics with families in Mexico who are fighting in today’s wars (that Tancredo and Hunter voted for.)

Most viewers won’t get it. But those who follow this stuff closely will certainly get the sharp elbow to the ribs of Tancredo and Hunter, and the implied message that McCain is not with them in their far right-wing approach to immigration reform.